SPARTAN-007
CJ Patterson was taken at age 5 to join the Spartan-II program. As a first Lieutenant, he outranked most SPARTANS, and would have led a squad, but was a terrible leader, and thus let his friend SPARTAN-118, Allen, take command. He participated in the Battle For Kyoto Fortress, and was recalled in time to fight in the second Battle for Earth. He was hotheaded, stubborn, and completely self-centered. But through loss and hardship, he became a great soldier. Siege of Arbith His first major combat action against the Covenant, CJ was eager to prove himself. At age 22, he was at the height of his skill, and wouldn't leave it for quite some time. However, he was hot-headed, stubborn, and worst of all, in command. Each SPARTAN in Green Team: Allen, Donna, Mark, and CJ himself had each been put in charge of a different group of Marine assault forces to participate on a counter-attack against the Covenant. CJ had been placed in charge of three wings of Hornets, totaling 47 ships, to take on the Covenant air forces. CJ was an accomplished pilot, and thought he could handle it on his own, and didn't care what his Marines did. Unfortunately, his opposite, an Elite Major pilot was a much better commander, and through superior tactics, won the day and wiped out most of the air forces of the UNSC, leaving CJ and four Marines stranded, the only notable of which was Cpl. Scott, who would later become a close friend of his. While the battle was a victory, and the five of them rescued, CJ was severely scolded for his lack of responsibility. CJ decided to turn over command of Green Team to Allen. Battle of Kyoto Fortress About two years later, and for CJ, two years wiser, a large Covenant fleet attacked a small base codenamed Kyoto. Green Team was sent with the 181st Marine Battalion to secure the area. Among them, and leader of Bravo Company, was Scott, now a lieutenant. In the first day of fighting, CJ was assigned to base defense, where he stood at the very top of the base, throwing grenades and firing on any Elite that came near. He racked up at least seven dozen kills from that post, and later came down with a shotgun to help the battered 1st Platoon defend the main entrance to the base. Later during the first engagement, he went with the rest of Green Team to secure vital Covenant battle data. They snuck into the base and killed several dozen Elites, and escaped. But Mark had disappeared, and Donna had been captured. However, there was no time to go back, as the next day the Elites attacked en masse. The Marines were overwhelmed by the Covenant, particularly one SpecOps Commander and his team. CJ personally fought two SpecOps, and barely defeated them before escaping on the Pelican. On the way out of the base with no more than a dozen Marines, he saw his best friend Lt. Scott die at the hands of the SpecOps Commander. He swore he would get revenge on that Elite. About a week later, CJ participated in a strike on a Covenant base, to secure a new base of operations, and to take out the major leaders of the Fleet. During the battle, CJ took on several Hunters, and slayed them as Allen killed the Covenant Field Master. At the same time, Hammer Team, a group of SPARTAN-IIIs, fought back The SpecOps Commander's team. CJ congratulated them, but was rather bitter he didn't get to kill the Elite. About an hour later, it was CJ who discovered the crashed wrecks of the Longsword reinforcements, and helped to find the recording of his teammate Mark destroying them. The others were confused, but he immediately knew Mark had gone rebel. Finally, on the third day, all remaining Marines joined with Allen and CJ and Hammer team to launch a final assault on the Covenant's main base. He noticed the Covenant's defenses were lackluster, and that they seemed to be occupied by something else. He got his answer what in a minute. He discovered Mark and several rebels executing a trio of Elites they captured. When they noticed him, Mark tackled him and began fighting him. He fought as hard as he could, but Mark had always been quicker than him, and he would die soon enough. But, by a stroke of fate, they came across the detention block, where they discovered Donna in one of the cells. Realizing his errors, Mark stopped fighting and agreed to come with them. On the way out, though, Mark was attacked and beheaded by the SpecOps Commander, who appeared to be wearing some type of ancient armor. He called himself an Arbiter. In a blind fury, CJ, pummeled the Elite, stripping his shields, and ripping off a mandible, shooting down his throat, and finally snapping his neck, leaving the Elite in a crumpled heap. He then left with Donna to escape from the planet. For his actions, CJ was promoted to First Lieutenant. He would participate in many smaller engagements too numerous to list, but would find his shining glory on Earth, in his last stand against the Covenant. Defense of Washington D.C. Green Team had been assigned to help defend the U.S. capital against the Covenant, who had sent a full division to take it. Green Team arrived to find the Marines in chaos, barely holding against the superior enemy. The SPARTANs re-established order, and organized a hasty defense against the Loyalists, and help for a while. Things got less hopeless when a full battalion of ODSTs arrived, but they were eventually pushed into the city, where they held for a while. CJ went up in a Longsword to help the aerial defense, but was shot down after scoring about 20 kills. Severely wounded, possibly dying, he was sent back to the White House, where medics struggled to keep him alive. Almost a week later, CJ finally came to, to find he was possibly the most ready to fight, despite his condition. Every Marine left (About 30), even the medics, were fighting against a massive Covenant force stationed just outside. They were holding, but were nearly out of ammo. Seemingly just as the last shot was fired, a Covenant Cruiser arrived in the sky. CJ thought they were doomed, until he heard an Elite on their COMM stating they had come to help the Humans. Several Phantoms dropped off enough Elites to push back the Covenant, and drive them out of the city. The survivors were airlifted to the remains of Voi, along with the other battle-weary soldiers from around Earth. They were given a chance to volunteer to continue fighting, or wait at Earth. Some volunteered, most declined. CJ had volunteered, but he was too weakened, and was kept from going. He spent the next 5 months recovering from wounds. After the War After the events of the war, Green Team settled down, slightly. Allen became a drill instructor at a Marine Boot Camp. Mitchell remained in the UNSC, and served mainly with the ODSTs on reclamation missions of Loyalist planets that refused to admit the war was over. Donna became a strategist in the UNSC along with the SPARTANs who didn't make it through the program due to genetic errors. CJ left for Sanghelios to study the Elites a bit more in-depth, so he could live without despising them quite so much. During this time, CJ became close friends with Ssfa 'Jcoree. He did not realize it at first, but the Elite eventually revealed to him that he was the Elite that he had struggled with at Kyoto Fortress. While he was angry for a short while, CJ accepted the Elite's apology, and that would save him. During this time, a group of Sangheili rebelled against the Arbiter, elected leader of the Sangheili, and a vicious struggle occured, which resulted in the death of many of the greatest Elites of the Human-Covenant war. During this time, CJ saved Ssfa 'Jcoree and several other admirals, including Rtas 'Vadum, when they were led into an ambush by the rebels, disguised as a negotiation. Three years later, he returned to Earth and started a family with fellow SPARTAN Donna. They had two children. However, Green Team wasn't finished quite yet. Battle for the Second Ark Several years after the events of of the Reclamation Wars, All of Green Team was called back to service to fight one final battle against the Shield Corporation, who was building a Second Ark to control the galaxy. During the battle, CJ was given command of a Hornet wing to take out the aerial defenses, which was going well enough until he was shot down by a pilot they discovered to be Mark, who had survived the events of the Kyoto Fortress. Later, they launched a full-scale attack on a Shield factory, where they wiped out the Shield, but were pushed out by a Flood attack. Later, they launched an attack on yet another factory, and were successful, driving out the Flood and Shield. During the course of the battle, CJ ran across Mark, and the two grappled once more. CJ lost his right arm to Mark, but before the final blow could be dealt, a Brute Chieftan Flood in a meteor crashed down on Mark, snapping him out of his brainwashed state. He replaced the KIA Mitchell as Green-3. In the massive final battle, Green Team and about 30 UFF that allied with them, along with A marine named Anh and about 100 Marines, fought against the Flood and Nogard army, finally getting off the planet on the Frigate High Noon. They went straight to the UNSC Dragoon, Darkest Hour. There, the Spartans confronted Admiral Charlston, who had tried to kill the Spartans with an orbital bombardment. Charlston feigned surrender, then grabbed his Magnum and killed Donna while her shields were down. In a blind, unrelenting fury, CJ ripped Charlston to pieces, leaving the necessary organs in place to feel the pain for as long as possible. He would have left Charlston to suffer, but Allen quickly ended his suffering with a shot to the head. The trio returned home, though CJ was rather miserable the rest of his life. Death 1st Lieutenant CJ Patterson died on February 26, 2614. Distinguished in every way possible, and hailed as a hero on every planet in the UNSC, people thought CJ would be happy, but he wasn't. Only 6 hours before his death, he answered a reporter with this statement: "The glory and fame are but mere mortal treasures, and mean nothing if the ones you love are not alive to share the moment. I shall die a bitter man, for I was unable to save so many lives. If I do indeed go to heaven, I do hope I shall see her again. If I do not, every second shall be hell." After his death, a large memorial service was held, and he was given a proper burial with the few Spartans whose bodies were recovered. Among them were Mitchell and Mark, two of CJ's closest friends, and Daniel, who was only a Marine, but also CJ's son. No one knows if it is true, for the stone has been lost for many a year, but it is said that Allen made his way to the memorial rock, and engraved the words "CJ Patterson: Spartan, Father, Friend" On the rock next to the famous engraving on the same stone 117. Personality CJ began his career a boneheaded jock that would rush in without thinking, only hoping he didn't get shot. However, as his life progressed, and the Human-Covenant war took more and more lives, he sobered, and became a very level-headed man. Though he had a sense of humor you would never expect from an officer. Near the end of his life, however, he became bitter, and began to ponder life. He wrote a series of novels known as "Why are we here?" to share his theories with the world. It was a best-seller for 10 years running.